Wednesday 4/16/03 - Lake Marion, Hollyford Cabins

In Te Anau we did some food shopping. Stan had already bought most of the food (and had brought some organic fruits from his garden at home) but we needed to get some perishables such as meat and bread. Hiking NZ has a very detailed recipe book which lays out appetizers ("starters"), main course, and dessert for each night. It details what ingredients are needed and how to prepare the meal. Craig and I changed some money and went into the sporting goods store to buy myself a microfleece jacket. We also bought pack liners, huge bright yellow sturdy plastic bags to place in our packs to protect all of our stuff from rain. After that we drove to Lake Gunn. We pulled up beside the lake and the light rain and made sandwiches (ham, cheddar, salami, hummus, tomato, and piccalilli), with tea and coffee to drink. Then we suited up in our wet weather gear for a tramp.

We drove to the trailhead and started tramping to Lake Marion. It was a nice tramp - very steep at first and slippery rocks and roots due to the wetness. We saw many birds, such as kakas, wrens (known in NZ as riflemen or little greenstones), tomtits, and fantails. The forest was absolutely alive with the sound of birds. We saw purple mushrooms, beech trees, flax, ferns, etc. etc. The hike to Lake Marion took about 2 hours. When we arrived, the lake was enshrouded in mist and it was absolutely pouring. We had taken off our rain jackets due to the warmth and humidity, so our shirts were soaked. The lake looked very eerie. Stan filled our water bottles with clear, clean, lake water. We ate muesli bars and banana chips while we admired the mist and rocks. Then I used what must be the Cleanest Pit Toilet in the World (brand new, wasn't even functioning when Stan was last there) and headed back down to the van. We had great conversations with Stan on this tramp. We got on quite well with him, and though we had known him for less than 24 hours, we felt like we already knew each other quite well. We arrived back at the van at 5:15, still soaking wet.

We drove about 10 minutes to Murray Gunn's Hollyford Cabins. Murray wasn't around, but a woman named Andrea and her pug dog were looking after the place. We went into the office/shop, which was lit by candles (the power generator doesn't come on until 6:30). Andrea told us that there was one cabin available (#1) but that the wood stove had some problems with smoke. She gave us a discount due to the smoke problem, so we got the cabin for NZ $8 apiece. We headed over to the cabin. It was rustic but nice. It had two bedrooms and a living area with wood stove, sink, table, and chairs. Stan immediately set about starting the fire in the wood stove while Craig and I changed out of our wet clothes. As soon as I started changing my clothes, the generator kicked in. Perfect timing! The fire was very smoky (the seals on the stove leaked), so we needed to open a couple windows. We hung up our wet clothes by the fire and began preparing dinner. We had chips, veggies, and dip as a starter, followed up by chicken curry with kumara, cauliflower, and rice. It was delicious. Craig and Stan had Speight's Dark and I had a hard cider. We cleaned up the dishes and planned for tomorrow. By then it was 9:15 (how time flies when you're having fun) and we were ready to start getting our gear ready for tomorrow. In the main building there was a real flush-toilet. Just as we were finishing up for the night (10:20) the generators turned off. Wow, were we in synch.

Thursday 4/17/03 - Milford Sound, Te Anau, Borland Lodge

We woke up at 6 and gathered our stuff by torch and candlelight. We ate muesli, kiwi, and yoghurt for breakfast. We did the dishes and said goodbye to Andrea and her pug. On the way to Milford Sound we pulled over and took a short walk to see The Chasm. It was a beautiful gorge with a raging river. We got to the kayak put-in at Milford Sound at 8:15. The easterly winds were high and the water was choppy. We were told that we could still kayak if we wanted to, but the recommended against it due to the weather conditions. We decided to take a boat tour instead, and signed up for the Mitre Peak Cruises Exploratory Cruise to the Tasman Sea and lighthouse, which would depart at 9:55. We then walked up a nice boardwalk to see the Lady Bowen Falls. It was a spectacular waterfall, and the walk took about 15 minutes. We then walked over to the Milford Cafe. Craig and I got hot chocolate (served with small fruity marshmallows) and Stan got a latte. We sat down and enjoyed our drinks before heading back to the wharf and boarding the 60-person capacity Mitre Peak Cruise boat.

Once aboard, we helped ourselves to the complimentary coffee and tea. The weather was windy but "partly fine", so we had a good view of the mountains, including Mitre Peak (so-named because it resembles a bishop's hat) which is arguably the highest sea cliff in the world which rises straight from the ocean floor, at 1,692 meters. We sat on the upper deck in the open air. It was chilly and at times so windy that we were nearly blown across the deck. We saw gorgeous waterfalls and a hanging valley. The waves were breaking hard on the rocks, and there were even some small waterspouts starting to form because of the wind. We cruised out to a lighthouse in the Tasman Sea. The views were spectacular in all directions. On the way back into the sound the wind was unbelievable. We donned lots of layers, and had to hold on to our hats. It was intense and fun. At one point Stan was standing at a 45-degree angle with the wind holding him up. We saw some NZ fur seals on the rocks approaching Lady Bowen Falls. After we docked, we went back tot he van and hit the road.

There were some beautiful rays of late afternoon sunlight beaming down onto Lake Te Anau. We drove further and saw even more beautiful sunbeams descending on Lake Manapouri. We arrived at Lake Monowai at around 5:30. Stan took us to a great site for camping with a nice fire pit, etc. But after a few minutes we realized it was getting dark and cold, and we had yet to make dinner as well as organize our gear for our first overnight hike, so we left the campsite and opted for the Borland Lodge instead. We chose cabin 20, which consisted of two bedrooms, and then we brought all of our stuff into the separate lounge/kitchen building. Stan started a fire in the wood stove and it was instantly cozy.

We made dinner (nachos and salsa for starters, followed by spaghetti Bolognese) using their appliances and dishes. When we were done, an older man and a teen ager (both hunters) came in, deposited their food, and left. We realized we hadn't put anything in cabin 20, and of course that was the cabin the hunters claimed. Oh well. At this point we needed to prepare for tomorrow. Stan told us what gear we would need and the best way to pack it (within our pack liner to make sure nothing would get wet). We got the necessary food together. After everything was organized, we relaxed in front of the fire, eating cookies and discussing the challenging day ahead. We wrapped everything up at around 9:30. It was hard to leave the fire to go into a small, cold cabin, and we toyed with the idea of setting up our sleeping bags in front of the wood stove and spending the night there. But we had visions of the hunters coming in for breakfast at 4 a.m., and decided we should retire to the cabin. There were mattresses on frames of chicken wire, and at Stan's suggestion we placed the mattresses on the floor, set up our sleeping bags, and went to sleep.

 See more pictures from 4/17/03

Friday 4/18/03 - Hiking and Camping in the Snow (Borland Track)

We woke up at 6:30, packed up our remaining gear, and went to the kitchen for a breakfast of muesli, yoghurt, toast, coffee, and fruit. We needn't have worried about the hunters getting up at 4; they were in there just finishing up cooking a traditional kiwi breakfast of tinned spaghetti, fried egg, bacon, etc. We chatted with them for a bit while we ate. Then we cleaned the dishes, divvied up the communal items amongst our three packs, and hit the road. There was a thick layer of frost on the van this morning, and we wondered what lay ahead for us. We drove for a while and arrived at the start of the Borland Track at around 9:45. The first section of the tramp was uphill through the forest. This was our first tramp with full packs, but we soon got used to the packs, and they felt like an extension of our bodies. Soon we passed the tree line, and found ourselves amongst smaller vegetation (i.e. tussocks and flax). There was snow on the ground - at first just little bits, but gradually growing deeper and with a bit of a crusty layer on top. We passed various beautiful tarns, some of which were partially frozen around the edges. We saw New Zealand daisies and other plants which had layers of ice on them glistening in the sun. It was beautiful.

We were supposed to follow a track down the back of the mountain to a hut on the shores of Green Lake, where we would spend the night. Stan slipped a wee and we realized that there was no good way down to the hut. It was too slippery and dangerous on the backside of the mountain (where the sun never really melted the snow). It was 3:30 pm, and at the pace that we would need to go to hike in the slippery conditions, we'd end up hiking in the dark. On the top of the ridge, Stan could get cell phone coverage, so he called Hiking New Zealand and asked for permission to change our itinerary due to the conditions. They gave their consent, and we decided the best course of action would be to hike down the side of the mountain that we were on, and camp in our 2-man alpine tent in the valley between 1476 and Mt Burns. We hiked in our snowy, wet socks down to the valley. Here we saw our first view of scree.

We cleared a spot in the snow and set up the tent at 1360 meters. Stan insisted he was going to sleep outside on his fly. This scared us, and we told him we wanted him to cram into the tent with us. We decided to wait and see. Stan put a billy of water onto the fire and made us some Raro (mandarin orange flavored kool-aid type of drink served hot). It warmed us up. The sun started to set as we sorted our gear and stuck it into the tent. Stan started dinner while Craig chopped olives and cabanossy sausage. By this point my toes were uncomfortably cold and Craig and Stan were nice enough to let me go into the tent while they finished up. I took off my wet socks, put on some dry ones, and buried my feet inside my sleeping bag. Soon they were warm and toasty. Luckily we all had ThermaRest inflatable sleeping mats, so our sleeping bags had a layer of insulation between them and the snow. Without them we would have felt like we were sitting on an ice block. After finishing the chopping Craig's toes were getting very cold as well, so Stan kindly offered to finish up dinner while the two of us warmed up.

Saturday 4/19/03 - Borland Track, Invercargill, Slope Point

Stan woke us up at around 7. He was already up gathering breakfast items together. Craig and Stan had leftover pasta pesto for breakfast, and I had a leftover peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We saw the sun coming up over the mountains. It was gorgeous. After breakfast we packed everything up, put on our icy boots (which weren't as cold as I had feared), packed up the tent, and started hiking at around 9:15. At first the snow was icy and crusty. Soon the sun hit it and it became slushy, melted, and muddy.

We stopped on a hill overlooking Island Lake and ate a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Raro. The weather was gorgeous. It was sunny and very warm, and we needed to shed a bunch of layers. We hiked back down through the forest and returned to the van at about 1:30. We sorted the gear, put our boots under the bungy cord on the roof of the trailer, and we tied our wet socks to the sides of the trailers so that they could dry in the breeze while we were on the road. We were heading toward Invercargill. I wrote in the journal on the ride, and we stopped at a lovely lookout point over the ocean. We drove to Riverton and got ice cream to go. I got hokey pokey (which is like butter crunch at home) and Craig and Stan had creamy cookie.

We found it very funny that we arrived at the Moon restaurant at sunset, and we left shortly before moonrise. We pulled over to get some pictures (I stood on the trailer hitch and put my tripod on the roof of the van). The moon was spectacular - so huge and orange - and the clouds looked gorgeous. We saw our first honest-to-God live possum while we were driving. So far all possums we saw had been road kill. They are a big problem in NZ (as an introduced species) and they are often poisoned by the government and hunted by hunters (and it looks like they may be purposely run over sometimes as well). About an hour later (8:30 p.m.) we arrived at the Slope Point Backpackers farmstay. The proprietress was very friendly and showed us to the little compound where we would be staying. There was a lounge, a kitchen, and a bunkroom with two sets of bunk beds. In a separate building there were more bunkrooms, a shower, and a toilet. There were a bunch of other backpackers there, but none of them were particularly friendly to us. So we settled in our bunkroom. Craig and I got bottom bunks, and Stan slept above Craig. There were rumors that two other guests were expected, and that they would share the 4th bed. I hoped this was not the case, because if two people tried to sleep on the bunk above me, I am sure the whole flimsy structure would collapse. We had a drink and some sour cream and chive chippies, and took turns going to the shower while the other two looked at the digital photos. The sheep were very noisy.

Sunday 4/20/03 Easter - Slope Point, Curio Bay, Cannibal Bay, Hangi Feast, Penguins

We woke up at 7 and wished one another a happy Easter. The girls who were supposed to share our room had luckily slept in the lounge, so it had been an uneventful night. I guess my feet hung over the edge of the bed and I would occasionally kick the beer bottles during the night, so Craig and Stan had dreams about bars. Stan realized what the noise was and moved the bottles out of my reach. Craig asked, "Did the Easter Bunny come?" Stan rummaged around in his bag and said "The Easter bunny came!" producing a Cadbury Mad About Chocolate truffle egg for each of us. Hooray! We packed up and then went into the kitchen, using the microwave to heat up our Easter hot cross buns. There were brochures, books, magazines, games and puzzles available at the backpackers. It was very nice. On my way to the bathroom I took pictures of some of their sheep. We hit the road shortly before 8:30. Our first stop was Slope Point, the southernmost point of NZ's South Island. We parked the van and walked across some sheep farmland to get to the point. It was windy and chilly. We reached the lighthouse that marked the spot, on a cliff overlooking the ocean. This is very rugged country: a land of extremes. A sign gave the distance that Slope Point is from the South Pole and the equator (the former is 4803 km, and the latter is 5140 km). Nearly equidistant.

Toward the end of the walk we entered a section of dunes and could hear the ocean's roar. We popped out of the forest on a beautiful and secluded beach. Stan retraced our steps through the woods back to the van, allowing us to have a private walk down the beach. Ours were the only footprints that we could see. The tide was out and there were striations in the sand from high tides past. There were lots of dead brine shrimp on the sand. The waves were gorgeous. Stan picked us up at the road on the far end of the beach, and we hopped into the van. We drove for a few minutes and then parked on the side of the road to collect firewood in a small gully for tonight's hangi feast. We would need lots of small sticks for the pit in the ground, and some larger logs for the campfire.

Then Stan drove us to a nearby farm. Hiking NZ has an arrangement with the owners of the farmland to use their blind to view yellow-eyed penguins. The penguins come onto shore around sunset each night, and walk/hop to their nests (they can go as far as 1 km inland!) The yellow-eyed penguin is the world's third largest penguin (after the king and the emperor). There are only about 5000 yellow-eyed penguins in existence. 30 of them live off of Cannibal Bay. We were eager to see penguins in their native habitat (they only exist in the Southern hemisphere in the wild, and we had only ever seen them in aquariums or zoos), but we didn't want to get our hopes up too much lest we be disappointed if none were to show up. Our luck so far tha day with the dolphins and sea lions was disheartening. We parked the van and walked through lush and verdant farmland to the coast. We sat in a blind on a cliff edge overlooking the beach below.

We immediately saw one penguin in the grass. We were relieved and excited to have at least seen one. We watched the sea, and suddenly saw a penguin come riding a wave to shore on its belly. It waddled up the beach until it reached a hill, and then it began hopping up the hill until it reached the top which was covered with trees and lush grass. It seemed weird enough to see a penguin in the wild in the ocean, let alone on farmland! It was surreal. Stan said it gets even more surreal when the sheep are in that pasture with them. We quietly remained crouched down and the penguins kept coming ashore at steady intervals. With each new arrival we became more and more excited. Sometimes we spotted them in the sea. Other times we didn't realize we were there until we could hear the pitter-patter of their webbed feet on the sand below us. They seemed to congregate in pairs, and they were communicating with one another. Before we knew it the count was up to 8. Stan's record was 9 penguins in one viewing, so we decided to stick around and try to tie his record. Aha! 9! 10. Then 11, 12, and 13!! A new record! We watched them until the sun set, at which point we headed back to the van, very hyper after seeing 13 penguins. The stars were amazing, and once again we admired Orion, the Southern Cross, and the Milky Way.

We drove back to camp. Stan decided that we should try the paua after all; that we could eat it in addition to the hangi and eat any leftovers tomorrow. He went to the baches in search of the kids. He returned with a plastic container full to the brim of nicely minced paua for which he had paid a few dollars. He cooked it up in olive oil and garlic while we started a campfire. Stan was a bit worried about the hangi, as the rocks hadn't gotten as hot as he had hoped because the firewood was too wet. He dug up the hangi to find that the veges were fine, but the lamb wasn't completely done. There was certainly enough cooked lamb to feed us that night, though. The meal was a mixture of cultures: a Maori hangi feast on Easter. Craig loved the paua. I found it very tasty but a bit rubbery (I'm pretty picky when it comes to seafood). After dinner we sat around the campfire. The old man who owns the place (very long white beard and a limp) drove up in his big old boat-like car by our site and over to the baches. Stan announced that the Easter Bunny had come again, and he produced three more Cadbury Mad About Chocolate truffle eggs. We hung out by the fire, talking about all sorts of things. We learned that Stan is a big fan of Tom Waits, which led to lots of interesting conversation. I wrote in the journal by the fire. As the night grew later, the sheep started acting up and becoming very noisy. We went to bed at 11:30.

 See more pictures from 4/20/03

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